I was not with Embrace, but another insurer that had a pretty broad pre-existing condition clause, and also my dog's premium had become pretty high. So it wasn't covering much, and yet cost quite a lot. So it only made sense to cancel. I would make the same health care decisions either way. But when the policy excludes any condition the animal ever previously had, even if the dog was covered by the insurer at the time, that makes the policy rather useless for a dog with any chronic condition.

When I read this post that Embracer Lea wrote, I had a heavy heart and a tear in my eye. I've known Lyger as long as I've known Lea and he's been a wonderful part of Embrace's history. It's hard to think you would ever drop your pet insurance policy for your older dog. What do you think about Le...

Carol, you were fortunate to have such an understanding vet. Many are not so flexible. But what I think is a corollary to Christy's points, is that even knowledgeable internet sources can't diagnose a seriously ill animal online, and owners need to use some sense or risk losing their pets. I have lost count of the number of times I have been on a listserv, bulletin board or blog to read someone post that their pet has been displaying frighteningly serious symptoms (and for some period of time) and seeking advice from others on there. Is blood coming out of any part of your pet and the cause is not a minor cut? The dog has bloody diarrhea, urine, vomit? Has been vomiting for more than a day? Has had really severe diarrhea for more than a few hours? GET TO A VET. Is your pet screaming in pain at the slightest touch? Will not eat or drink? Cannot defecate? GET TO A VET.

There are many reasons why people don't take their pets to the veterinarian. "Because the vet will make me do something I don't want to do" shouldn't be one of them. I've been a pet writer since 1991. In that time, I've probably received enough snail mail and email asking questions about pet h...

My boys get meat I grind myself, supplemented with probiotics, enzymes, bone meal, vitamins, and other food-based multi-nutrient supplements. I've done a lot of trial and error and this seems to work best for them. I alternate proteins, keep it fresh and they have nice coats, good energy, good digestion (little gas despite being breeds known for flatulence)and good vet check-ups. No allergies. Life would be much easier for me if I could just throw them a pre-made raw patty from Nature's Variety or Primal or one of the other brands, but either they don't like it or it doesn't agree with them. I think feeding is just one of those things where your mileage may vary.

If veterinarians want pet owners to trust what they say about feeding their dogs and cats, they should stop trying to mislead us with twisted science. The American Veterinary Medical Assocation (AVMA) publishes a great email newsletter called SmartBrief, which shares interesting animal health-...